CMT3120

Week Ten

In certain fields, I believe Virtual Reality(VR) can be useful. However, I do not see it having that much an impact in the educational sector. In my opinion, VR is just like watching a video with a large screen and surround sound. Perhaps done once in a while to teach students about places they can’t go, like space. I think Mixed Reality is the wave of the future.

I believe if the cost of implementing Mixed Reality(MR) systems weren’t so high, every school, college and university would, or rather, should have one. With MR, the possibilities are endless. Students would be able to explore impossible worlds of education. Biology students could take a virtual ride to see how diseases spread. Computing students could be transformed into an actual instruction awaiting to be processed by the CPU. Books and graphs are good learning tools, but there would be nothing like having the “I’ve been there” experience to enlighten students.

posted by RishyCP @ 11:46 PM 0 comments

Week Nine

I think mobile learning is definitely a thing of the future. As the PC and an internet connection are slowly working its way into every home, people will be able to expose themselves to a wealth of educational knowledge. Classes and seminars can be carried around with a person wherever they go with mobile devices such as PDA’s. Students would be able to get a feel of what it is like to do a course presented by a tutor that is halfway across the world without having to incur incredulous expenditures. Even people living in remote places will be able to give their children an education. I feel that the people who would most benefit would be the disabled people. Now, they can learn from the comfort of their own home.

posted by RishyCP @ 7:17 AM 0 comments

Week Seven

As computers become more and more a part of not only our everyday lives, but also our growth from child to adult, we as a society have accepted the computer as a tool in growing up. No longer is the computer just for the older kids, but are becoming more accessible. In a sense its keeping the growing children involved and comfortable with technology. To that extent the PC will probably become increasingly important to use as a tool to teach children. Again, this will play the twofold advantage of multimedia teaching and comfort with technology. Especially if we are talking about the future because it is obvious that PC’s and the like are here to stay and will continue to play a large role in our daily lives. Being exposed to it from a young age for educational purposes not only attracts the child to learn, but also introduces him to the technology that he will be relying heavily on later in life.

posted by RishyCP @ 8:32 PM 0 comments

Week Six

The uses of such Groupware Technologies have made the collaboration efforts of students easier thus creating a more open avenue of discussion and the exchange of information. The basic uses of things like email systems, online chat programs, and online whiteboards have led to the creation of better ideas and a more improved meeting space. By being electronic, the exchange of information is logged and recorded, making it easier to create minutes of meetings and for future references. Especially when group projects are involved, each person is assigned a task. Sometimes, the members live far from each other; each member can still go through each others tasks and have a discussion online. Each member would be able to give their views without having to fight for time to talk.

My main experience with Groupware Technology would be during my first semester when we had a group project. There was a member that was very quiet during the physical meetings we had. We were actually worried about what would be the quality of his work. However, when we had a meeting online, he just unloaded a wealth of information. We were shocked. There a lot of smart people out there that are losing out just because they’re shy and not sociable. This type of technology could release them into the world.

posted by RishyCP @ 10:52 AM 0 comments

Week Five

To ask the question whether I would like to learn online or not, it would be a yes and no answer. As much as the technology proves it is possible, and as much as the implications prove online learning is easier, better, faster, online learning would take away a lot of the social activities of actually going to classes and physically being present. There has been anecdotal evidence that the lack of social interaction in a ‘work from home’ situation provides little job satisfaction. To an extent, a parallel can be drawn from both scenarios. So personally, a fully online learning course doesn’t really appeal to me. However, I do hold the internet and the technologies very highly and I do believe that the online resources to support the day to day classes as ideal. The availability to share work, be it between students of a subject, between a student and his lecturer, or even cross subject interactions, can only further open the avenues of discussion and mental growth.

posted by RishyCP @ 8:17 PM 0 comments

Week Four

I would choose the User Centred Design(UCD) but make some changes to it. Task analysis is needed because we need to understand the scope of the coursework. We need to make sure what exactly is expected and not go astray. Requirements specification, in my opinion, is the most important step. If this step is not done properly, it affects the rest of the steps and the entire project. Here we must determine the final outcome. Usability requirements, functional requirements, etc have to be clearly stated and defined. All the following steps will be based on information from here. Next is the storyboard. Here we put to paper what the planned final product will be like. Instead of moving onto to prototype immediately, I would bring up the evaluation step once here. I would instead ask some of the children in my age group what they thought if such a program was created. Once I have taken their input and made the necessary changes, then I would move onto the prototype. After the prototype is done, I would again bring up the evaluation stage. I feel that constant feedback on all the steps from the targeted age group is really important in creating a successful program.

posted by RishyCP @ 11:29 PM 0 comments

Week Two

These themes, although different, are used for one general purpose. To teach and disseminate information to the masses, or in this case, a classroom of students. The key with the different themes is to know when each theme is to be used. I am of the school of thought that very little is wrong at its core, just how it is interpreted or used. With the different themes, my understanding is that at any one time, a particular theme is best for a particular group of people, or more directly, their level of maturity. This is where the skill and dedication of a teacher plays a huge role. The teacher needs to be able to realize where it’s best to use the Behaviourism theme (a younger audience), or the Constructivism theme (the middle school years) to the Constructionism theme (the latter part of the schooling years) and finally the Socioculturism theme (college or university level). Another aspect to consider, would be a theme for the particular subject or topic being taught. Does the topic lend itself to a more open discussion (Socioculturism) or a more guided approach (any of the first 2).

posted by RishyCP @ 9:38 PM 0 comments